Mobile devices, which provide various methods of network connectivity, are now for many users becoming the primary gateway to the global Internet and also a major storage point for information. This information can also reside within a network “cloud.” As the volume of information and associated processes continue to grow and develop in sophistication, management of and access to such information pose a major challenge, with respect to security and convenience. Although numerous authentication mechanisms have emerged, many of these approaches can readily be compromised with the authentication information itself being stolen or forged. Moreover, for conventional authentication procedures, the inputting of passcodes can be cumbersome, particularly for mobile devices with small form factors as well as for users who are handicapped so that conventional input mechanisms (such as typing) are hard to use.